There’s always a lot of talk about the soul and the higher-self and you may have thought…what’s the difference? Quite honestly it’s a good question – why? Because the soul and the higher-self are what make you – YOU! If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in this lifetime it’s that we are on a constant journey of self-discovery and in this process uncovering who it is we really are.

A helpful meditation to uncover the layers that will help you get to the “real” you is to sit in silence with the intention of bringing forth answers to the question “who am I?” Sitting in silence you ask yourself “who am I?” Continue to sit silence and then ask again “who am I?” And, do this for the remainder of your meditation. This may very well be the most important question you can ask yourself and the most important answer you can arrive at in this lifetime. This was a technique that really resonated with me and was discussed on Inspired Living with special guest Chandresh-Bhardwaj. Here’s the link if you’d like to listen to the podcast: http://omtimes.com/iom/2016/08/break-norms-chandresh-bhardwaj/

As I came out of meditation today, unexpectedly, as most of my writings are, this is what came through and how I was able to discern between The Soul and The Higher Self. This is how I understand the difference between both based on my consciousness at this point in time. Perhaps my understanding will deepen or even shift as sometimes our perspective does over time?

THE SOUL

The soul is YOU at the point of creation – therefore it is the true essence of who you are. It has been with you over all lifetimes since your inception into existence and holds the memory of all of your experiences across lifetimes. It is influenced by these experiences and memories that it carries into each lifetime. These influences and memories are the basis by which your soul’s karma is defined and identified.

Based on your soul’s karma it will serve as your inner compass in each lifetime that leads you to and through experiences, relationships and decisions that are important for its growth and unique to its own evolution. Your soul’s evolution is the process by which it corrects what is needed (the imbalance within itself) to bring its state of being back into balance and harmony.

The subconscious mind is the aspect of the soul that stores these memories/experiences. It’s basically an internal data storage unit and holds no judgement as to the rightness or wrongness of any experience it simply stores everything. However, held within each experience is the DNA imprint that reflects ones feelings and emotions associated with the experience.

THE HIGHER SELF

Your higher-self is an aspect of your soul. It’s the purest aspect of your soul and YOU because it is not influenced by your experiences over lifetimes (karma) – It is that part of your soul that is connected to truth, divine intelligence/universal consciousness…ALL THAT IS.

Its connection to divine intelligence is unwavering. That is, no matter what is going on around you in your physical experience/life here on Earth it stays steady and true. It is never disconnected from all that is.

For this reason, your higher-self is always in a constant state of balance and harmony. There are no internal corrections needed. It’s that very wise part of us that holds all of the answers to all and any life question we may have. So often, we search for answers outside of ourselves, but really, what is needed is to go within. When we go within we see that the answers that we seek are really within us not outside of us. How can it not be if the higher-self is connected to divine intelligence?

There are different ways in which we can access this wisdom…some include meditation, being in nature, hypnosis, etc. Of course (as with anything in life) it takes practice, commitment and dedication to learn how to do this and to clear the channels that cloud this connection.

MY INTERPRETATION

The best that I can do is to explain things in the way that I understand it. Others may have a different interpretation. This is how it has been explained to me through meditation and again my own level of awareness.

If anything, I hope that it gives perhaps a foundation to start with that leads you down your own path of understanding. The beauty of our spiritual journey is arriving at our own conclusions based on our experiences and what we learn by strengthening our connection to the purest aspect of our souls and ultimately the divine.